The Wine Exchange Center in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone launched Shanghai FTZ Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform Global Online Wine Sales during the first China International Import Expo to help foreign wine and liquor companies to enter into the Chinese markets.

The CIIE, held from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai, attracted wine companies from France, Australia, Chile, Spain and Argentina to exhibit their wine and liquor products, and the 10 most sought-after commodity categories among the expo’s purchasers include beverage and wines, according to the data released by the CIIE administration.

The Shanghai FTZ Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform is one of the few cross-border wine e-commerce platforms that specialize in niche market of wines, which integrates functions such as trade, storage, information and cultural integration.

The Wine Exchange Center has more than 1,500 wine products from 15 countries and regions such as France, Italy, Chile, Australia, Spain, and Argentina and is in cooperation with more than 300 wine chateaus in the world.

Su Wanfeng, chairwoman of the Wine Exchange Center, said the center will facilitate the global wine and liquor products to enter into the Chinese markets and let domestic consumers enjoy overseas wine and liquor within the country.

The launch of the Shanghai FTZ Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform will take its advantage of its resources to aggregate a batch of globally-renowned wine retailers, and increase the Pudong New Area and the whole city’s exporting volume, said deputy director of the Pudong New Area Commission of Commerce.

Shen Renhua, deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, said a large number of global wine and liquor companies have set up their China headquarters in Shanghai, and the wine and liquor products imported through the Shanghai Port account for more than two thirds of the total in the country and the import volume keeps growing by 10 to 15 percent every year.

As a new form of emerging industry, cross-border e-commerce platforms are still at their fledging stage now, but they have great development potential, said Li Zhaojie, deputy director of the FTZ’s management committee.